AARP weighing in on some health insurance reform issues

The nation's leading organization for senior citizens is weighing in on some health insurance proposals that could affect the price millions pay for their premiums.

The AARP announced that it supports several amendments currently pending in Congress as part of the healthcare reform bill. Among them are a 2-1 limit on age rating, which would help hold down premium increases for people simply based on their age.

That provision is gaining national news attention and is common in the health insurance industry and is due to the fact that people on average tend to require more care and account for more healthcare expenses as they age. However, this is not always the case, considering how some people can be in remarkably good health in their later years while a growing number of younger people are not.

The AARP also maintains that a health insurance premium should not cost more than 10 percent of a person's income and that there should be more provisions in the reform bill to help low-income Medicare patients.

An Associated Press report notes that the White House favors a limit on "premium variation based on age," but emphasizes that it is uncertain what kind of provisions, if any, will be included in a final bill.